Humanity's Prophecies

By Victor M Fontane

Humanity's prophecies concerning the "end of the world" have never ceased; however, the truth is that the apocalypse has never truly existed; it is merely a collective illusion fueled by humanity's loss of control over its fears. From the misconstrued interpretations of the Mayan calendar to the warnings about climate crises, the essence of these prophecies boils down to panic scripts fabricated by humans in response to the "unknown." We indulge in these fears like addicts, continuously injecting ourselves with the stimulant of "salvation" to numb our anxieties. Since the Industrial Revolution, humanity has disrupted natural balances through technological advancements, yet dares to believe that more complex technologies can "correct" these errors. This absurd logic resembles attempts to extinguish a fire with gasoline—climate engineering, genetic editing, and carbon capture technologies, despite their superficial guise of "salvation," are merely refined means of exacerbating our manic control issues. Do you believe you are repairing the Earth? You are mistaken; instead, you are mending your illusions, for the Earth does not require humanity's self-righteous interventions to heal. Consider the ludicrous outcomes of these "rescue actions": pesticides used to eradicate insects devastate entire ecological chains; genetically engineered crops intended to solve hunger accelerate species extinction; artificial reforestation efforts combat desertification while destroying native soil microbial networks. Each act of "salvation" is generating larger disasters, as humanity, like a gambler, becomes increasingly entrenched, resorting to more radical measures to cover prior mistakes. This malignant cycle of "prediction-panic-remedy" serves as an accelerator for the self-destruction of human civilization, and the most ironic aspect is that the actual end is not in the future, but in the present—right at the moment when you are lost in your obsession with "salvation."

This obsession manifests in a more complex form within China's ecological dilemmas: when wild animals are "packaged" from their natural habitats into short video platform segments titled "cute pets," when "cloud rearing leopards" and "monkey addiction" become codes for online traffic, and when illegally trafficked wild animals enter homes under the guise of "pets," this "customized" ecological destruction transcends traditional environmental issues and becomes a microcosm of the intense conflict between humanity's desire for control and the inherent laws of nature. Although the goodwill of vegetarianism is commendable, amidst the ecological crises driven by the "pet economy," it appears more akin to a laxative, failing to address the core issues at hand.

The "wildlife pet craze" of the short video era is fundamentally an "ecological plundering" collusion between capital and social media. From the fennec foxes captured on the African savannas to the slow lorises snared in Southeast Asian jungles, and the civets drugged in domestic mountainous regions, these animals, which should play critical roles in natural ecosystems, are stripped of their "wild identities" and reduced to mere "living toys" catering to human "healing needs." The destructiveness of this process far exceeds common perceptions: during the illegal trafficking process, many wild animals die from stress reactions, diseases, or cruel husbandry, leading to a dramatic decrease in young individuals within wild populations (for instance, a 2022 survey by a provincial forestry department indicated that the mortality rate of illegally trafficked slow loris infants reached 78%), directly weakening species' reproductive capabilities. Furthermore, zoonotic viruses carried by wild animals (such as monkeypox and the B virus) are transmitted to humans through close contact, with 2023 data from the Chinese Center for Disease Control showing a year-on-year increase of 41% in pet-related zoonotic disease cases, over 60% of which originated from illegally raised wild animals. More importantly, each wild animal removed from its habitat represents a "keystone node" in its native ecosystem—disappearance of herbivores can result in rampant plant overgrowth, and the absence of carnivores may lead to "pest outbreaks," ultimately rebounding negatively on human agriculture and health (for example, a bamboo rat farming case in a certain town in Yunnan triggered a bamboo forest disease outbreak, leading to a 30% reduction in crop yield). Ironically, this destruction is packaged as "love": videos of "little foxes rubbing against hands" garner millions of likes, yet few ask, "Was its mother killed? Is its population near extinction from poaching?" In the name of "liking," humanity has executed a form of "delicate slaughter" against nature.

The root of this "control-centric civilizational ailment" extends far beyond the exploitation of wild animals. China's ecological destruction does not stem from "eating too much meat"—according to the China Animal Husbandry Yearbook, in 2022, the per capita meat consumption in China was only 1.2 times the global average, significantly lower than that of the United States (2.5 times) or Australia (3.1 times). The truly lethal aspect is humanity's arrogance in believing that "everything can be domesticated": in traditional agricultural societies, domesticating livestock stemmed from a survival-based "limited use"; whereas contemporary "wildlife pet ownership" arises from a desire for enjoyment, reflecting an expansion of control issues. Humanity is no longer satisfied with merely "using" nature; instead, it seeks to "remodel" it (for instance, by "cutesifying" wild animals to fit human aesthetics). The pet economy has even fostered a complete industrial chain of "illegal hunting-black market trading-social media monetization," with profits far exceeding those of traditional agricultural farming (industry insiders indicate that an illegal wild fennec fox can be sold for ten times the price of a legal pet), thereby reducing "protection" to empty rhetoric. Most pet owners remain unaware that "keeping a wild animal" equates to "destroying an entire ecosystem." They simplistically view nature as a "resource bank," substituting their "likes" for the ecological "needs"—this anthropocentric mindset constitutes the fundamental root of environmental crises. In other words, even if all of humanity became vegetarian overnight, as long as the arrogance of "controlling nature" persists, wild animals will continue to be slaughtered due to "pet trends" and "viewing trends" (such as illegally breeding wild birds to produce "forest life" videos), and ecological crises will merely extend in different forms.

True awakening does not entail "doing more," but rather "doing less." Humanity must awaken from the illusion of being "saviors" and recognize its role as a fleeting participant in the ecosystem rather than its sovereign. Observe the wisdom of nature: forest fires trigger seed germination, viral outbreaks promote immune evolution, and glacial transitions regulate the carbon cycle—these "disasters" to the Earth are merely metabolic processes, while humanity perceives them as apocalyptic. Your "salvation" is merely a one-sided interference; nature has long developed repair mechanisms more efficient than any human-made solutions.

Ecological awakening in China requires stepping beyond the binary opposition of "vegetarianism/meat-eating" and returning to traditional ecological wisdom to restore an equal dialogue with nature. This transformation may unfold across three dimensions: institutional level, implementing "rigid rules" to sever the black market supply chain— the prevalence of "wildlife pet ownership" content on short video platforms results fundamentally from regulatory lag; cultural level, awakening ecological ethics rooted in "harmony between heaven and humanity"—the traditional Chinese principles of "not using excess killing" and "following natural seasons" (as indicated in the Book of Rites: "In the month of early spring, cutting down trees is prohibited; in the month of early summer, there should be no large-scale hunting") essentially reflect reverence for nature. Today, there is a need to translate this wisdom into a modern context, using documentaries (such as "We Are Species") and science education (such as ecological classes for elementary and secondary school students) to inform the public: the "cuteness" of wild animals is a miracle of natural evolution; their "wildness" is the cornerstone of ecological balance; true love means allowing them to remain in their native habitats rather than caging them as "fluffy companions."

The real solutions are not more sophisticated technologies, but rather a complete shift in understanding. On an individual level, learn the "courage to refrain from interference," thus avoiding destruction of ecological resilience in the name of "good intentions." On a societal level, establish a responsibility chain of "whoever harms must restore," ensuring that polluters and abandoners face real consequences. On a civilizational level, abandon "anthropocentrism" and coexist humbly as citizens of the Earth. The deepest irony of apocalyptic prophecies lies in the fact that it is not the Earth that is on the brink of extinction, but rather human rationality. When wild animals in short videos are reduced to mere "pets," and chains of illegal trafficking ensnare their bodies, we must awaken to the realization that the key to saving the ecosystem is not "how to control nature more gently," but rather "learning to respect nature's autonomy."

Only when you finally relinquish the arrogance of "controlling everything" and cease to engage in destruction under the guise of "salvation" can you demonstrate the greatest compassion for this planet. Remember, wounds do not require direction for cells to heal; what the Earth needs is merely humanity's "less doing"—or to put it more directly: stop talking, and let nature resolve its affairs itself. This philosophy mirrors the wisdom of the Hani rice terraces in Yunnan: humans cultivate rice, but do not forcibly alter the ecosystem of the terraces; waterfowl forage, but do not strip them of their habitats. This philosophy of "symbiosis" represents the essence of China's ecological awakening: relinquishing the illusion of being "pet owners," ceasing to kidnap nature under the guise of "love," allowing wild animals to return to the mountains and forests, and enabling humanity to reclaim its position as "ecological citizens." Only in this way can we truly transform from "controllers" into "guardians," finding new life for civilization through an equal dialogue with nature.